110v to 220v step up inverter?

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JellyRoll
Posts: 11
Joined: 7 years ago

#1: Post by JellyRoll »

So after burning up a second step up inverter I'm starting to realize how much power the heaters draw. I know most people use a 220v outlet from the house but in my case I run a mobile esspresso cart and need an inverter for inside events when propane can't be used. Is anyone running stout inverter they can recommend?
My machine is a Fracino Retro duel fuel 2 group

Nunas
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Posts: 3661
Joined: 9 years ago

#2: Post by Nunas »

What you want, and are probably burning out, is a step up transformer, not an inverter. An inverter takes DC (like from a battery) and turns it into AC.

There are two kinds of step up/down transformers. One is simply called a transformer, the other is properly called an autotransformer. The former, are hard to find and are expensive; they are good because they totally isolate the incoming power from the outgoing power, as they use two coils. They are really heavy. The latter are commonly available on Amazon and eBay by the dozens. They use a single coil with taps for the different voltages. They are much lighter, cheaper and come mostly from China. They will work for you but you need to be careful of a couple of things.

First, the advertised capacity of most of them is a joke. They may work for a short periods, but not extended use. So, you need to buy one that is at least twice as big as you think you need. So if your coffee machine uses 2000 Watts, buy one that is capable of 4000, or even 5000 watts. Look on the spec plate of your unit to see how many watts it needs (see below). Second, they are often poorly made. So, before you even try it out, pull the cover off and look for issues. The most common are loose connections and stripped/loose bolts. Many people have reported that their transformer worked fine until they went to pull the plug out and the whole socket came out of the case along with it. Tighten anything up that looks dodgy.

A comment about spec plates. Sometimes they list Watts and sometimes Amps. If yours lists amps just multiply by the volts that should be printed on the spec plate. So if it says 220-volts and 9 amps that would be 1980 Watts, for which you want at least a 4000 Watt (Chinese) unit.

Good luck!

JellyRoll (original poster)
Posts: 11
Joined: 7 years ago

#3: Post by JellyRoll (original poster) »

Thanks, I know the ones I purchased were Chinese and I ordered much bigger transformer than required. I was just having trouble finding a good quality unit.